Sacrifice for Success

No one likes the word of sacrifice because it has such a bad rap, but, I’m here to tell you two things: sacrifice simply means giving up one thing in favor of another, and, that no one can succeed without sacrificing something.

The truth is, if you’re experiencing any measure of success, that means you’ve given up something in return. If you are successful without having given up something, then that simply means that someone who came before you did the sacrificing. Either way, the only path to success includes sacrifice. It could be that you’ve given up long hard hours that you could be doing something else, or that you’ve given up certain luxuries to be able to afford a larger, more long-term item or future lifestyle.

James Allen, in his book, Man Thinketh, said:

“There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance.”

Essentially, he’s saying if you’re not willing to sacrifice your pride, comfort, or security, you’re not going to be able to achieve the highest level of success.

Don’t give up

If you are giving up something in hopes of being successful but not quite seeing the level of success you’d like, don’t give up! It’s likely that you need to simply keep persisting.

If you aren’t starting to see success after a measure of time, gauge whether you’re on the right path and, if so, just keep going! In my October blog, I talked about strategically moving towards success. Knowing what you can and should give up in pursuit of that success is part of that strategy. It’s up to you alone to weigh the sacrifice vs the short-term satisfaction. Can you pass on something now that will help you achieve your ultimate goals? What will the effect be from that decision?

True leadership

I want to close by sharing one more thought: true leadership always includes sacrifice in some form. In my recent blog, I shared the nine traits of a servant leader. A quality servant leader will always seek to help his or her team members find their own level of success. It’s better for the team, it’s better for the individual, and, ultimately, it’s better for the leader. But, I can tell you from experience that to help others be successful, you must sacrifice some of your own desires.